Okla-homey
2/11/2007, 03:49 PM
Why yes, it is possible.
http://www.theexaminer.com/npps/story.cfm?ID=1295
Sex offender busted for indecency at Hooters
By Jerry Jordan, News Editor
Feb 11, 2007
BEAUMONT, TX -- They say it takes all kinds to make the world go round. Well, the management and staff at the new Hooters in Beaumont, the delightfully tacky yet unefined restaurant known for its well-endowed waitresses and hot wings, learned that lesson the hard way this past Thursday.
That’s when a registered sex offender was arrested at the restaurant for masturbating while sitting in a booth near restrooms, according to police reports.
According to sources at the Beaumont Police Department, police reports and restaurant employees, a man was seen acting strangely while sitting in a booth near the back of the restaurant. His actions were brought to the attention of the restaurant manager, who went near the man’s table to see what was going on.
The manager then alerted Officer Barry Scarborough, who was working off-duty at the restaurant. A police report states that as Scarborough approached the man, he also noticed something was out of hand.
The report, obtained by The Examiner, states the officer observed the man trying to cover himself with a Beaumont Enterprise newspaper on his lap while masturbating underneath the table.
The officer took the man into custody and upon questioning learned that his name was Lionel Coleman, a registered sex offender living at 3149 15th Street in Port Arthur.
Officer Scarborough also learned, according to police sources, that Coleman had arrived at the restaurant and went into the restroom, where he removed his underwear and placed them in his sock, before returning to his table.
“I walked up behind him and he was really going at it,” Scarborough said. “There was no doubt about what was going on. I started talking with him and then asked him to step outside. He had his pants undone, the whole nine yards.”
Scarborough said that he found the man’s underwear as he was searching him for weapons and the man admitted that he had a problem with this type of behavior.
“He said he saw the girls and got excited,” Scarborough said. “I agree; he definitely has a problem.”
Coleman was sentenced to six years in prison in 1991 for indecency with a child. Since that time, he has been convicted on at least four separate charges of indecent exposure, as well as failure to register as a sex offender, failure to identify as a fugitive of justice and evading arrest. His most recent arrest and conviction came in 2005, when he as convicted of indecent exposure at the University of Houston. He was sentenced to 120 days in jail for that offense.
Officer Scarborough arrested Coleman for public lewdness and he was transported to the Jefferson County Correctional Facility where he posted a $250 bond and was released from custody.
Coleman is also a suspect in at least two cases of indecent exposure at the Target store in Port Arthur that are being investigated by the police department there.
The manager and other employees were upset over the incident, Scarborough said, because they were worried about the appearance to the community. Scarborough said there is constantly a line of people waiting to be seated at the restaurant and this was an isolated incident by someone who obviously has a problem with this type of behavior. He said he has worked extra jobs at the restaurant several times since its recent opening and this is the only major issue that he can recall.
“Overall, this is a minor issue,” he said. “The employees there are doing a good job and this type of stuff is uncalled for. They are not going to tolerate any shenanigans. If they see something inappropriate, they will notify the police and the person will be arrested.”
Calls to Hooters seeking comment about the matter were referred to Hooters Vice President Mike Herrick.
“I have been here for 14 years and I can assure you that this is a first,” Herrick said. “It really is. It is unfortunate. We certainly don’t condone this type of behavior and we will not tolerate it.”
Herrick tried to make light of the situation, saying that he was lucky that there weren’t more police reports filed because Coleman’s actions infuriated the restaurant’s employees.
http://www.theexaminer.com/npps/story.cfm?ID=1295
Sex offender busted for indecency at Hooters
By Jerry Jordan, News Editor
Feb 11, 2007
BEAUMONT, TX -- They say it takes all kinds to make the world go round. Well, the management and staff at the new Hooters in Beaumont, the delightfully tacky yet unefined restaurant known for its well-endowed waitresses and hot wings, learned that lesson the hard way this past Thursday.
That’s when a registered sex offender was arrested at the restaurant for masturbating while sitting in a booth near restrooms, according to police reports.
According to sources at the Beaumont Police Department, police reports and restaurant employees, a man was seen acting strangely while sitting in a booth near the back of the restaurant. His actions were brought to the attention of the restaurant manager, who went near the man’s table to see what was going on.
The manager then alerted Officer Barry Scarborough, who was working off-duty at the restaurant. A police report states that as Scarborough approached the man, he also noticed something was out of hand.
The report, obtained by The Examiner, states the officer observed the man trying to cover himself with a Beaumont Enterprise newspaper on his lap while masturbating underneath the table.
The officer took the man into custody and upon questioning learned that his name was Lionel Coleman, a registered sex offender living at 3149 15th Street in Port Arthur.
Officer Scarborough also learned, according to police sources, that Coleman had arrived at the restaurant and went into the restroom, where he removed his underwear and placed them in his sock, before returning to his table.
“I walked up behind him and he was really going at it,” Scarborough said. “There was no doubt about what was going on. I started talking with him and then asked him to step outside. He had his pants undone, the whole nine yards.”
Scarborough said that he found the man’s underwear as he was searching him for weapons and the man admitted that he had a problem with this type of behavior.
“He said he saw the girls and got excited,” Scarborough said. “I agree; he definitely has a problem.”
Coleman was sentenced to six years in prison in 1991 for indecency with a child. Since that time, he has been convicted on at least four separate charges of indecent exposure, as well as failure to register as a sex offender, failure to identify as a fugitive of justice and evading arrest. His most recent arrest and conviction came in 2005, when he as convicted of indecent exposure at the University of Houston. He was sentenced to 120 days in jail for that offense.
Officer Scarborough arrested Coleman for public lewdness and he was transported to the Jefferson County Correctional Facility where he posted a $250 bond and was released from custody.
Coleman is also a suspect in at least two cases of indecent exposure at the Target store in Port Arthur that are being investigated by the police department there.
The manager and other employees were upset over the incident, Scarborough said, because they were worried about the appearance to the community. Scarborough said there is constantly a line of people waiting to be seated at the restaurant and this was an isolated incident by someone who obviously has a problem with this type of behavior. He said he has worked extra jobs at the restaurant several times since its recent opening and this is the only major issue that he can recall.
“Overall, this is a minor issue,” he said. “The employees there are doing a good job and this type of stuff is uncalled for. They are not going to tolerate any shenanigans. If they see something inappropriate, they will notify the police and the person will be arrested.”
Calls to Hooters seeking comment about the matter were referred to Hooters Vice President Mike Herrick.
“I have been here for 14 years and I can assure you that this is a first,” Herrick said. “It really is. It is unfortunate. We certainly don’t condone this type of behavior and we will not tolerate it.”
Herrick tried to make light of the situation, saying that he was lucky that there weren’t more police reports filed because Coleman’s actions infuriated the restaurant’s employees.